Amjad critical of EU’s Drax investigation

Yorkshire’s Conservative MEP Amjad Bashir today hit out at the announcement of an EU “state aid” investigation into the future of Drax Power Station. He said the “unhelpful and unwelcome” move could undermine or delay crucial plans to turn the plant near Selby into one of the world’s biggest producers of energy from bio-mass. Mr Bashir said: “I have every confidence that the Government’s planned investment in Drax is not only forward-thinking, but also fair on the consumer and fair on the energy industry. “It is inevitable that a strategic conversion on this scale from coal-fired to green energy will need support from Government. But I understand great care has been taken to plan this in a way that will not unduly distort the energy market. “That really should be all the Commission needs to know. “I foresee a smooth transition to a new and exciting future for Drax, but that can only happen if the EU accepts the soundness of the scheme. We do not need unwarranted interference or high-handed edicts. “To the Government, to the Drax company and to its employees in Yorkshire, this development is unhelpful and unwelcome. It has the hallmarks of another piece of EU meddling in British business and British industry.”